Essay preview
Michael McHugh
Composition II
Julie Herskovitz
08/10/2011
Should Governments Legalize and Tax Marijuana?
Marijuana Legalization and the Revenue from Marijuana Sales
The war on drugs is an expensive battle, as a great deal of resources and time go into catching those who buy or sell illegal drugs on the black market, prosecuting them in court, and housing them in jail. These costs seem particularly exorbitant when dealing with the drug marijuana, as it is widely used, and is likely no more harmful than currently legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. There's another cost to the war on drugs, which is the revenue lost by local, state and federal governments who cannot collect taxes on illegal drugs.
As Washington breaks the bank on Wall Street bailouts, President Barack Obama's stimulu...